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Daspletosaurus
| image = Daspletosaurus torosus by durbed-d5qrn58.jpg|thumb | image_caption = An artist's illustration of Daspletosaurus torosus | image_width = 240px | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Sauropsida | clade1 = Dinosauria | superordo = Theropoda | genus = †''Daspletosaurus'' | genus_authority = Russell, 1970 | species = D. torosus | binomial = Daspletosaurus torosus | binomial_authority = Russell, 1970 }}With its massive head and large teeth, there is no question that Daspletosaurus (das·ple·to·saur·us) was an apex predator and was one of the largest tryannosaurs. It got its name because of its apparent ferociousness; its name means "frightful lizard." Daspletosaurus was a carnivorous dinosaur that lived in the Cretaceous Period. It is devolved from (meaning it evolved into) Tyrannosaurus rex and other tyrannosaurids. Similar to other members, it had a powerful jaw and short arms. It had a huge body balanced upon two powerful back legs. The three-toed taloned feet (much like those of a modern bird) probably held the prey down while it ate. Like all tyrannosaurids, the front limbs were short and had only two fingers each. An attack from a Daspletosaurus ''or its relative ''Albertosaurus would have been a nasty way to go, due to their brute strength, robust teeth and jaws powerful enough to puncture through bone. Description '' ''Daspletosaurus lived at the same time as its relatives Albertosaurus and Gorgosaurus. How two large meat-eating dinosaurs could have lived side-by-side is a mystery. Perhaps it was much like the African lion and the cheetah living together in East Africa today. These two cats have different methods of hunting, and they prey on different animals. The lion relies on stealth to get close to its prey (buffalo, zebra, etc.), and the slender, fast cheetahs run down its prey. It is possible that Daspletosaurus, with its massive head and body, might have stalked the ceratopsians, while the more slender, quick Gorgosaurus might have run down hadrosaurs. Daspletosaurus and ceratopsians are less common than Gorgosaurus and hadrosaurs in the badlands of Alberta. In Popular Culture In Dinosaur Planet, a young Daspletosaurus named Das lives in a pack including his mo ther and two sisters. They make several attempts to take down a young Maiasaura named Buck but die in a volcano explosion. In the end, the narrator explains that Daspletosaurus has evolved into Tyrannosaurus and a young T. rex shown with his mother looks very similar to Das. In Discovery Channel's documentary Secrets Of The Dinosaur Mummy At a Stormy night 77 Million Years Ago, A Pack of Five Daspletosaurus have been stalking a heard of Duck-Billed Dinosaurs called Brachylophosaurus. As one of them lethal predators is about to move in for the kill, One Brachylophosaurus named Leonardo rushes in to protect his heard. Leonardo bravely faced the Daspletosaurus. But then, The predator turned toward Leonardo & bit him on his right side. Sending Leonardo into the swollen river. Daspletosaurus makes an appearance in Last Killers The Third episode from Planet Dinosaur, with a pack of them hunting down a Chasmosaurus, succeeding. However, the two larger Daspletosaurus stole their kill as the others will have to wait for their share of the kill. Also, in the same episode, Daspletosaurus makes another appearance in which they are waiting for the migration of a herd of Centrosaurus. The Daspletosaurus make their attack during a harsh rainstorm, killing some of the ceratopsians. Though, the Centrosaurus make it to a flooded river and start swimming across, and some are eaten by giant crocodilians, perhaps Deinosuchus, although some Centrosaurus make it to the other side. The next day, the carcasses are attracted by scavengers, especially Daspletosaurus. Gj.jpg Daspletosaurus-1.png daspletosaurus_torosus_by_themorlock-d6oul9w.png|Daspletosaurus with feathers|link=http://dinopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Feathered_dinosaurs|linktext=Feathered Tyrannosaurs References * 1=http://animals.howstuffworks.com/dinosaurs/daspletosaurus.htm Category:Large Carnivores Category:Tyrannosaurs Category:Apex predators Category:Coelurosaurs Category:Archosaurs Category:Reptiles Category:Tyrannosaurids Category:Saurischia Category:Cretaceous Dinosaurs Category:Cretaceous animals Category:Cretaceous Period Category:Late Cretaceous Dinosaurs Category:Late Cretaceous Category:Dinosaurs of North America Category:Prehistoric animals of North America Category:Prehistoric reptiles of North America Category:Cretaceous extinctions Category:Feathered dinosaurs Category:Fossil taxa described in 1970 Category:Planet Dinosaur Creatures Category:Dinosaurs Category:Famous Dinosaurs